April 26, 2002

In This Issue: 
Pharmaceutical Freebies, Prevention, Gleevec Trials and Tribulations, Web Search Guide

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LATEST NEWS
Sea Change Urged in US Health Policy For Cancer Prevention

WHO Concerned by Food and Cancer Study

Lifestyle In First 20 Years More Important Than Genes

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PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY FREEBIES: "NO" FOR DOCTORS, "YES" FOR PATIENTS
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association, PhRMA, an industry trade association, released new ethical guidelines to emphasize that company representatives should no longer use "cash or cash equivalents ... in exchange for a commitment to continue prescribing products," according to the guidelines. The association's president said, "The new code makes it crystal clear that the interactions of company sales representatives with healthcare professionals are to benefit patients and enhance the practice of medicine" not simply to benefit doctors financially.
http://cancerpage.com/news/article.asp?id=4240&Counter=11

DRUG COMPANIES GIVE MEDS TO LOW-INCOME PATIENTS
Some pharmaceutical companies give free or reduced-cost drugs to patients with limited-incomes. Indeed, at least 48 companies operate over 100 Patient Assistance Programs for different drugs. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association (PhRMA), reports its member companies distribute $1.5 billion worth of prescriptions based on retail value and these assistance programs are separate from the recent discount card offers. PhRMA has a directory of companies and drugs involved in these patient assistance programs including eligibility criteria and contact information to apply. 
http://www.phrma.org/searchcures/dpdpap/

The nonprofit organization, Volunteers in Health Care, also operates a website with information on eligibility along with downloadable application forms. 
http://www.rxassist.org/ 

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GLEEVEC APPROVED FOR GIST IN US and EUROPE
The drug Gleevec has been approved in the US and Europe to treat Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia and GISTs, gastrointestinal stromal tumors, a common sarcoma that arises in the gastrointestinal tract. GISTs have been difficult to treat due to their resistance to traditional chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The manufacturer Novartis is already touting Gleevec as a "silver bullet" because it attacks a cancer-causing mutation in a cell and leaves healthy cells untouched. For information about clinical trials investigating the effectiveness of Gleevec against other cancers, type in Gleevec at 
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov.

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GLEEVEC DID NOT WORK FOR EVERYONE
While survival after blastic Chronic Myleloid Leukemia has improved, one study showed Gleevec (imatinib mesylate) monotherapy did not offer a survival benefit over standard chemotherapy for patients with aggressive chronic myeloid leukemia in blastic transformation. 

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IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE MOUSE? HOW TO FIND INFO ON THE WEB
The web site Phoenix5 offers surfers new to the web a 10-page primer on how to use the internet to find prostate cancer information. The suggestions apply to any information you are searching for. For example, one trick for targeting a search is to use more words in a search phrase, because you're more likely to find more specific info. In the following example, note the main topic in quotes and sub-topic without quotes in this entry to a search engine: "prostate cancer," diet, dinner.
http://www.phoenix5.org/resources/rvynet/RVYnet01.html